Ok ladies and gentlemen, we now have our July "What's it" live and ready!

The image(s) below is a MWTCA "What's It" image for you to research, and tell us all here in this topic post, just what the heck is it!

Remember, the first accurate answer wins a one calendar year membership (or what's left of the calendar year) to the awesome organization MWTCA!

If an accurate answer cannot be arrived at by the end of the current calendar month this project is posted, a random drawing will be held to include anyone who participated in this months What's It. One winner will be chosen to receive a calendar year membership to MWTCA and all of it's wonderful benefits of membership. Compliments of The Patriot Woodworker Community.

There are none! In this case, no details have been provided but for what you see, as nobody knows what the heck this is. Perhaps one of you have just happened on one in grand dad's shop, farm or factory, and you may actually know "What's It!"

If there were two bars in the slots (metal or wood), the top one could be moved to a preset angle (notches). Maybe 30° and 60° possibly for stair or rafter layout. Looks handmade. Noticed a triangle carved in the side too.

I thought maybe the tri-angle worked as a wedge as either part of the handle pivot or to hold the pivot in place. I agree it appears "home-made" or shop crafted for a specific job. But what that job(s) might be leaves me clueless on this one. The gear segment is very well done and appears quite precise.

The use of square headed bolts/nuts (appeared to be forged ?) date this 1940's or prior. With the one bolt head protruding into the slot and other passing through lower handle (appears wider) slot, whatever the cross-members might have been indicates they were adjustable left/right and independent of each other.

So with all of my observations added to $1 you can get a cup of coffee.

The square nut and bolt could mean it goes back as far as the late 1800's. Tools back in those days would have been mostly hand made, so this tool, even though it may be more than likely hand made, could still have been a production of hand made tools for a specific purpose, for use on a ship, a train, a wood-shop, a farming tool?

I think it was used to put the bend in hand saw teeth to sharpen the saw.

Good a guess as any so far Judy. I'm not sure how it would fit over the saw plate of a hand-saw, but possibly for a early rendition of a band-saw blade???? Might explain the two different width "slots."

When I think of a hand-saw setting tool, images such as these come to mind, although not saying there isn't some connection with this tool. Good to see you posting. Jump in anytime!

...good guess, but nope, I can vouch from personal experience not off of any Farmall I've ever seen, operated or worked on...that ranges from F-12's through IH 86 series...

However, you may be on to something relating to farm implements, especially horse drawn..maybe some type of adjuster for sickle-bar mower, hay rake or possibly even a seed planter, corn/beans or seed drill?

That certainly would take in the account of square headed hardware along with the five position sector gear.

However, you may be on to something relating to farm implements, especially horse drawn..maybe some type of adjuster for sickle-bar mower, hay rake or possibly even a seed planter, corn/beans or seed drill?

That certainly would take in the account of square headed hardware along with the five position sector gear.

I like @Judy suggestion and @Stick486 bow saw blades, we called them Buck Saws . I have seen old timers when I was young setting the teeth on an anvil and using a punch and hammer . They had a small recess on the anvil that they held the tooth over to set with a light pound. Maybe this tool was held on the chopping block and positioned so the hole lined up with the tooth , the reason for the gear was to set the correct angle going both ways on each side of the blade.

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